Bill of Rights Institute
Preserving the Bill of Rights
Consider how America's founding fathers and their experiences contributed to the rights we all enjoy today. A collection of reading, writing, and collaborative exercises prompt high schoolers to think about the ways their current lives...
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Ratification of the Constitution
How difficult was it to get everyone to agree on the contents of the Constitution? Historians analyze the task of the Founding Fathers in creating the United States Constitution. They research a directory of video clips, primary sources,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers
Delve into the responsibilities of the president by looking at President Hamilton's opinion of the presidential office in his own words. The second in a three-part series, the resource also offers an interesting compare-and-contrast...
Curated OER
The Origins of American Government
Students create an advertising campaign to persuade the Founding Fathers to adopt a particular political philosophy. Working in groups, they conduct research about a certain political philosophy. Students create a pitch to be made to...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Articles of Confederation
Have you ever started a project only to realize you need to scrap it and start over? Scholars analyze the issues leading to the fall of the Articles of Confederation. A group investigation into Articles II, III, and VIII unveil the...
Curated OER
A More Perfect Union
Fourth graders complete a unit of lessons on the development of the U.S. government. They examine the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence, develop a class translation of the preamble to the Constitution, create a flow chart,...
Curated OER
4-H Citizenship Activity Page - Beginning Level
This is a 4-H citizenship activity that asks learners to examine county government, city councils, the three branches of the United States government, and complete a community service project. It also includes a word search, directions...
Curated OER
Colonial Founders
Who were the founding fathers of the American Colonies? Engage in online activities, Internet research, and focused writing to find out. Students choose one colonial founder, conduct biographical research on the person, and take a quiz...
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
The Constitutional Convention
Imagine sitting down with representatives of your school to write a new student handbook. What arguments would ensue? How would compromises be made to finish the project? Scholars research the Constitutional Convention using a directory...
A&E Television
Thomas Jefferson: Teachers Guides
Thomas Jefferson remains one of the most fascinating figure in American history, both for his innovative contributions to the United States government and his remarkably contradictory personal life. A series of discussion questions and...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: June 2011
Those who lived during the Great Depression could clearly draw a line between the roaring 1920s and the desolation of the following decade. Class members examine these two periods and compare them using an essay question prompt and...
Curated OER
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
Students design and promote technological devices for Father's Day gifts that reflect evolving social trends. They consider the new image of dads cast by today's media and advertisements and its influence.
Curated OER
U.s. Constitution Roll Call Test
Students act as newspaper reporters from 1787 and interview some of the signers of the Constitution. They study the contributions of these Founding Fathers: Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton and discuss the purpose of the U.S....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 2: Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers
Fix the Articles of Confederation or develop a new constitution? That was the question facing the Founding Fathers. Several of those in favor of a new constitution published a series of essays, collected in the Federalist Papers, urging...
Curated OER
Government by the People
Middle schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students examine primary documents regarding the founding of the United States. Middle schoolers analyze section of the U.S. Constitution and the...
Curated OER
Declaring Freedom
Ninth graders study the sections of the Declaration of Independence. In this American Government instructional activity, 9th graders participate in a weekly discussion board. Students create a multimedia project to demonstrate their...
Curated OER
Shh! We're Writing the Constitution
Fifth graders research, examine and study about the three branches of the government and the contents of the Constitution including both the Articles and the Amendments. They create their own classroom constitution at the end of the unit.
Curated OER
4-H Citizenship Activity Page
In order to understand how our government works, students need to delve into the intricacies at both the local and federal level. Using this 20 question activity learners explore how government affects their daily life.
Curated OER
The Constitution
Eighth graders conduct research about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, the Connecticut (Great) Compromise, and the 3/5 Compromise.
Curated OER
What's Her Story?
Learners research Lady Liberty and her history. Students research why this female symbol is so important to our country. Learners tie in Lady Liberty to their own freedoms that many of them take for granted. Students discuss how they...
Curated OER
Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution
Students debate the constitutional principles of the United States. In this U.S. government lesson plan, students examine the meaning of the text of the U.S. Constitution and analyze other primary documents of the era. Students prepare...
Curated OER
Causes of the American Revolution
Young scholars access websites for background information and learn how to interpret political cartoons. They incorporate higher-order thinking skills to determine if the information presented in the cartoons is accurate, what the...
Curated OER
Unit Plan Template
Use this U.S. History unit plan as a template for creating your own! Simply download the resource and edit the text fields with your own customized unit plan. This is a great jumping-off step, especially for newer teachers.
Curated OER
JUSTICE
Students analyze the role that Alabama played in three major events of American History and how those roles contributed to Alabama being dubbed the "Cradle of the Confederacy" and the "Birthplace of the Modern Civil Rights Movement."